Betrayal
by kittykat2892
Summary: Anders is angry at Hawke for his unyielding hatred for his fellow mages. It reaches breaking point, and Anders learns that his projected fantasy of mages is not always true. Just a short drabble into the person that is my Hawke. M!Mage Hawke x Anders


_**~ Betrayal ~**_

"How can you side against your own people? You are everything I despise embodied in one person!"

Once again, Anders was at Kanthias' throat over the apostate's decisions concerning mages. It was a conversation that always turned volatile, no matter the topic of the discussion. The freedom of the mages was the subject Anders and Kanthias Hawke would always disagree upon, though Anders would not accept Kanthias' opinion of mages.

"I don't understand you! I don't understand why you are cruel towards your people!"

"They are _not_ 'my people,' Anders, and you would do well to watch how you speak to me..." Kanthias Hawke's deep voice sent shivers down Anders' spine for a few reasons. Anders forced his primal instincts into a cage. He would not allow this argument to degrade into sexual pleasures. He would have his piece said this time.

"You never care how you speak to me, so why should I watch how I speak to you, Kanthias!" Anders snarled, a spark of blue electricity flashing through his eyes. Kanthias noticed, and he tensed in preparation for the abomination Anders called Vengeance to come forth to fight him.

Kanthias kept his cool gaze on the apostate fuming in front of him, when suddenly Kanthias' will to fight fled him. The red-headed mage sighed and turned away from his lover.

"You'll never understand, Anders."

Anders snapped his hand out, grabbing Kanthias by the shoulder roughly. "You are the one who does not understand, Kanthias! You are the cruel one, to leave your people to die at the hands of our opprossers! You care nothing for them, you allow them to be tortured, to be made Tranquil! You allow them to lose themselves!"

"Shut up!" Kanthias roared, turning and grabbing Anders by the throat of his robe, pulling him to where he was on his toes to keep from choking. His eyes were wide at the terrifying anger he was now faced with.

Kanthias' orange eyes snapped fire as he snarled at Anders. This strength was not right. It may have been for a warrior, but not for a normal mage. Anders wondered if he'd pushed too far this time...

"You have no clue what I've gone through! You have no idea what those damned mages, those who you call "my people," did to me!" Kanthias snarled. "I was abused, used, and ridiculed! I was little more than an object to the mages who were contracted to protect me while Father was busy elsewhere! He didn't trust me to stay in Lothering, I was just a boy with very little grasp over my powers at the time. He hired these mages to protect me, but who was there to protect me from them?"

Anders stared at Kanthias, fear in his eyes even as Vengeance struggled to break through to protect his body. The anger in Kanthias' eyes dissipated as soon as it had appeared, and the mage stumbled away from his love. The sudden emotional change staggered Anders. The apostate had never seen the Champion of Kirkwall so timid before.

"Kanthias... What happened to you?"

"The mages you are working to protect, Anders... They are just as much monsters as the Templars you have been held under. That I can promise you."

"You can't judge the whole magical population on a small group of mages, Kanthias! Not all of us are like that! Look at yourself! You would never harm another mage as you were harmed, would you?"

Kanthias' eyes flashed. "Never!" was the growled response. "These Templars that you claim are the monstrosities have only ever been kind to me. Father told me to steer clear of the ones in Lothering. After he died, I found myself drawn to them. Some knew that I was an apostate, but they saw a scared child over the abomination they are taught to see. Hell, two of the Templars had saved me from those damned mages Father had hired! They understood my fear, my loathing, of my own "people," and they knew that I was no threat."

Kanthias turned, holding his hand to his forehead. "That is also the reason Carver despises mages, asides from myself... The pain his older brother experienced... Though my little brother despises the feeling of being lost in my shadow, he realizes it is the only way I feel I can protect myself. He understands, and he bears it, so I can keep my sanity."

Orange eyes turned to Anders' wide eyes. "So tell me, Anders. Who has betrayed who?"

Kanthias Hawke turned and walked away from his apostate lover, leaving a flabbergasted Anders behind.


End file.
